The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-12
Capacity of Indiana Gas Wells.


I have read with interest the letter of Judge
E. B. Martindale published in to-day's Jour
nal, and must say that surprised
of the statements positively made by that
gentleman. It is old adage that one must
go away from home to learn the news, and as he
states that he has gathered his facts from a
work entitled ''Pittsburgs Interest" if the facts
concerning our Indiana gas wells taken
from that work. then I would consider the work
properly named. The statement that lit is safe
to say that there is not a gas we'll in Indiana
that is yielding more than 5000 900 cubic feet
per day" would seem TO be made III the interest
of Pittsburg. to say the least, If that work
is not the source of his information. then he
must have drawn upon his imagination-a
source that is not: always reliable There is no
question but what the majority of the gas wells
of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana have been
greatly overestimared, but some of the larger
of GU: Indiana gas wells have been tested. and
the results published from time to time, but he
seems to be either ignorant of that fact or else
ignores ali the tests that have been made. Now
the Indiana gas field has had hard fight to gain
the confidence of Eastern capitalists, and it
does seem too bad that any one should rush into
print and make statements that not only
without foundation, but have tendency to de-
stroy that confidence. While / have not
all the gas wells in the State, have seen and
tested some of the larger wells, and | will give
few figures from what actually know about our
Indiana big gas wells. The open pressure of the
Paramount we'll 81 pounds from the open
casing, showing capacity of II, 500. 900 CUBIC
feet per day; test made by Professor Orion.
The Mccullough we'll at Anderson was meas
ured by Mr. Chas Gerard and other citizens of
that city with mereuria gauge, and the open
pressure was 1892 Clio pounds in the
open casing. This gives daily capacity of
9. 795. 900 cubic feet per day. No. 6, at Ander-
son, gave one pound open pressure, showing q
capacity of 6 $3.50 900 cubic feet per day. The
Hartford City No. gave pounds open
pressure from the open casing, showing a
capacity of g. 10000 cubic feet per day. The
Jonesboro well gave the writer oyer 5000. 600
when the gas flowing from two two-inch
pipes a the same time. Professor Orion after
wards tested this well from a four-incn pipe,
and the capacity 5.557 900 cubic feet per
day. The Vain wright and Wheeler wells will
considerably supass 5000 900 cubic feet per day.
l could give the capacity Of the first if was
free to do so: The Greentown Big Schrader,. of
wells, and, although L have not tested
them, they would probably exceed
5000, 900 cubic feet per dar each. The Dunkirk
No. ], No. 5 at Anderson and one two others
Nooesville probably have capscity of
nearly 5000 900 feet per day. Now, those fig
ures given above have been published in the
American Manufacturer, and more recently in
the Indianapolis News tests made with re-
Ii able gauges. and for prominent citizen of
Indiana, and one who claims some knowledge of
the subject OF natural gas, to publish the
world the statement that not single we'll in
Indiana is yielding 5000, 900 cubic feet per day.
is equivalent to saying that the Indiana gas
your figures, Mr.. Martndale. just such state
ments as these from parties who have no fig
ures, nothing but sweeping statements to make,
doing more to keep manufacturing industries
out of Indiana than some people would imag-
inc. The extreme readiness which news
papers sometimes exhibit to proclaim to
the world that the gas wells of
some rival town are failing is a splendid way TO
their Off The moment you
throw distrust on any portion of the gas field
just soon does every portion have to suffer.
If Indianapolis expects to reap any benefit from
natural gas her citizens had better be careful
not to proclaim that the Indiana gas wells
failing. The Indiana gas fields are large
enough and the wells are big enough, and there
is need of exacgeratlon when describing
them; better always give facts and figures
garding them. A. j. PHINNEY.
MUNCIE Ind Dec. 10